[Ididntdothis]

It seems to me that you have to be really good at politics in order to avoid politics. If you don’t understand politics you usually get taken advantage of. You don’t have to play the game all the time but you need to understand it.

[epiphanitus]

+1. Maybe this is more important at a big company that at a startup where your business model and your tech is either good enough or it isn't. But even then you still have backers, etc.

Some people understand this stuff, and some people don't, and I don't see a lot of ways for someone who doesn't get it to become someone who gets it.

[smallcharleston]

They have a lot of books on the subject. Many of the articles in eg Harvard Business Review are about it. Who knows whether someone without the natural skill will ever become great, but I am convinced it can at least be learned to competency.

[j45]

I read recently being nice goes further and has more merit in California than elsewhere.

I avoid politics, but in a rapidly changing world politics often find technologists when others are on the side of resisting change.